Self-Assessment of Foreign Language Skills: Implications for Teachers and Researchers

Abstract

Self-assessment accuracy is a condition of learner autonomy. If stu dents can appraise their own performance accurately enough, they will not have to depend entirely on the opinions of teachers and at the same time they will be able to make teachers aware of their indivi dual learning needs. The purpose of this article is (1) to summarize the literature on self-evaluation of foreign language skills and (2) to show what it could mean to teachers and researchers. The conclusions of several self-assessment studies are somewhat contradictory, but these differences seem to support Stephen D. Krashen's Monitor Model/theory. Therefore both teachers and researchers should keep in mind that foreign language learners' self-estimates may be in fluenced to a varying degree by the use of the Monitor.